Load carrying vehicles, such as trucks, often have fold-down tailgates. Folded down, the tailgate extends the area of the truck bed. The tailgate can as such be used as an additional horizontal support surface for items within the truck bed. For example, when the truck is stationary, the tailgate can be used as a support for food items or a beverage.
However, a folded-down tailgate provides a restricted surface area. If trying to carry a long item in the bed of a truck, the item may extend out of the bed area and beyond that of a folded-down tailgate, which creates a hazard for following traffic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,038 to Sauri describes a multiple configuration tailgate extender. However, Sauri fails to disclose a motor-driven tailgate extender.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,753 to DiBassie describes a pickup truck bed extender. However, this device requires the operator to make adjustments in order to fit an aftermarket type framework within an existing vehicle. Hence, this fails to provide a convenient method of tailgate extension for a vehicle.
Japanese Patent JP11157390 discloses a vehicle having a plate which is extended at an angle to provide a loading ramp. Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 7-36826 discloses a tailgate extender which folds outwardly from the tailgate to provide a ramp. However, the prior art fails to disclose a tailgate having an integral tailgate extension which moves telescopingly powered by a motor, which may then be used in a number of positions.